[Commlist] Call for Abstracts: Laughing in the Postcolony Book Project

*_Call for Papers: Laughing in the Postcolony: Contemporary 
intersections of Humour, Satire, Collective memory, and Identity in 
Postcolonial Africa._*

*NB: No payment of any kind or APC will be charged to all contributors 
to this project*

Editors:

Dr Vidhya Sana (Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, University 
of the Witwatersrand)

Dr Tshepang Molale (Lecturer in the Department of Media Studies, 
University of the Witwatersrand)

Overview:

Humour in the postcolony has historically functioned (and continues to 
function) far beyond the purposes of entertainment. In Africa, the 
significant socio-political shifts that the continent has experienced 
after colonial rule created fertile ground for scholarship exploring 
humour as a site of critique and reflection. The societal dynamics 
within which humour operates have catalysed discussions around 
contemporary iterations of humour as focused on nation-building and 
identity creating/negotiating. Iterations of humour in the postcolony 
have offered spaces for social-commentary, healing, nation-building, 
resistance and decoloniality.  This is a terrain where laughter becomes 
a means of navigating complexity and fostering dialogue. Laughter also 
offers the space to reclaim agency in the ongoing project of building a 
more equitable society. In the postcolony:

“…despite the indisputable importance of satire and subversion in many 
postcolonial texts, laughter goes beyond the function of addressing the 
(erstwhile) colonial power.” (Reichel and Stein, 2005: 13).

The intersection of collective memory and humour is particularly 
significant here. Humour in Africa reveals the instability of memory, 
the rejection of simple categorisation, and a fervour to navigate shared 
experiences and traumatic histories. We invite scholars and 
practitioners to contribute to this edited volume addressing various 
aspects of humour in this context, including, but not limited to the 
following themes:

·Humour as a mechanism for processing collective trauma and memory

·Stand-up comedy and social commentary in postcolonial contexts

·Satire in literature, performance, and digital media

·Humour's role in healing, reconciliation, and nation-building

·The intersection of race, class, gender, and comedic expression

·Indigenous and decolonial perspectives on humour and laughter

·Humour as resistance to ongoing structural inequalities

*Submission Guidelines:*

Abstracts: Please submit an extended abstract of 500 words by *10 August 
2026 *to *(humourbooksa /at/ gmail.com)* <mailto:(humourbooksa /at/ gmail.com)>**

Notification of accepted Notification of Abstract Acceptance: *21 August 
2026*

Full Papers: Selected authors will be invited to submit full papers of 
approximately 6,000-8,000 words by *15 December 2026*.

*Important Dates:*

Deadline for submitting abstract and 100 word- author biographies: *10 
August 2026*

Notification of Acceptance: *21 August 2026*

Full Paper Submission Deadline: *15 December 2026*

Submission of revised manuscripts: *31 March 2027*

Publication Date: *August/September 2027*

Proposed publisher: This volume will be submitted to the *Routledge 
African Media, Culture and Communication Studies Series. *

We look forward to your contributions that reflect the exciting 
landscape of humour in Africa.

***Contact Information:*

Submissions and inquiries: *(humourbooksa /at/ gmail.com)* 
<mailto:(humourbooksa /at/ gmail.com)>**

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